Everything happened so suddenly that the four attendants following behind failed to react in time. It was Su Yu who acted first.
The third floor was neither exceptionally high nor low, but a fall from such a height without any preparation would likely result in severe injury, if not death.
Su Yu took a swift step forward and leaped into the air, catching the unlucky fellow mid-fall. She neutralized the force of the drop instantly and landed as lightly as a feather. The man she caught was still reeling from the shock. He had intended to thank his savior, but when he looked up and saw that the person holding him was a delicate, doll-like little girl with a calm expression, the words stuck firmly in his throat.
"Ah, tha—th—"
Only then did the four attendants at Su Yu's side regain their senses. They hurriedly shielded Su Yu and Su Ling'er, demonstrating their loyalty.
The lead attendant said urgently, "Young Miss, there is danger here. We should withdraw to a safe place immediately; it would be best to return to the estate."
Su Ling'er was also quite nervous. She knew how capable the little Su Yu was and wasn't worried about her getting hurt, but she feared being dragged into unpleasant matters.
Su Yu dropped the fellow onto the ground and gave him a kick. "What are you staring at? Get moving!"
The man suddenly snapped out of his daze, stammered a few thanks, and scrambled away without looking back. Meanwhile, the commotion had drawn a crowd from nearby; although they dared not get too close, the onlookers were gathering in increasing numbers.
"Do not worry, it is nothing major. What is the point of coming out if one doesn't stop to watch a spectacle?"
The attendants exchanged glances. They dared not disobey the young miss's orders, yet if something were to go wrong, they would be held responsible. Seeing their dilemma, Su Yu sighed internally. Very well, she was not one to disregard the plight of her servants for her own amusement. She relented: "Fine, let us return. We shall end our outing here for today."
Before the attendants could breathe a sigh of relief, several explosions rang out from the restaurant. A wild laugh echoed: "Hahaha! You bunch of useless dogs from Guining City think you can catch me? Keep dreaming, you bastards!"
"Jade-Faced Rat, you madman! Not only have you committed multiple counts of rape and murder, but you also stole the precious jade intended as tribute for the Imperial Court from Jiyun Province. Now that you've fallen into our hands in Guining City, don't dream of walking out alive!"
"Brothers, follow me! Capture this madman! Once he’s in the dungeon, I'll make sure he begs for death!"
"He’s trying to jump out the window to escape! Stop him! If he gets lost in the crowd, we’ll have a real problem!"
With a tearing sound, a figure leaped from the third floor. A second later, a group of Jiwei Bureau officers in black, beast-patterned robes chased after him.
The moment the Jade-Faced Rat landed, he spotted Su Yu and her party attempting to leave. His eyes lit up. With her fine attire, Su Yu clearly looked like the daughter of a wealthy family. She was accompanied only by one maid and four attendants. If he could seize her, he could use her as a hostage to threaten those "dogs." Furthermore, he noted that the young girl and her maid were both stunning beauties. If he managed to survive today, he would definitely keep both of them for his own pleasure.
In a split second, the Jade-Faced Rat made a decision he would regret for the rest of his life—or perhaps, he wouldn't even have a life left to regret it.
He moved with agility, covering the distance in three long strides. Brandishing a sharp sword with a sinister expression, he lunged straight for Su Yu. "Hehehe, heaven is helping me! Come here, little beauty!"
The pursuing Jiwei Bureau officers could only watch in horror as the Jade-Faced Rat aimed his blade at the innocent girl. The leader of the group roared, "You beast, how dare you!"
He threw the long saber in his hand, aiming it straight at the Jade-Faced Rat’s back. The Jade-Faced Rat, having escaped the Jiwei Bureau’s clutches many times, was no amateur. Without turning his head, guided only by instinct and the sound of the blade slicing through the air, he twisted his body. His speed slowed only by a fraction as he dodged the blade and continued toward his target.
The four attendants, facing a mortal threat, held their weapons and stood before Su Yu, shouting, "Young Miss, run! We will stop him!"
Su Yu shook her head helplessly. She had seen people offer gifts, but never people offering their own lives. What was the point of such meaningless sacrifice? Was it meant to amuse her?
Su Yu casually pulled out the hairpin she had just bought and flicked her wrist. A streak of light shot forth.
Before the Jade-Faced Rat could even blink, he felt a coolness at the center of his forehead, followed by a flow of warm liquid. He felt his strength abandoning him. Reaching out, he pulled the object from his brow. What was it?
It was... a jade hairpin?
Clutching his sword in one hand and the hairpin in the other, he stumbled forward a few steps before collapsing face-first in front of the attendants, his eyes full of bewilderment and disbelief.
"Oh! Someone’s dead! Someone’s dead!"
"Let’s go, hurry!"
"The officials are here, better stop watching..."
Seeing the corpse, the onlookers scattered in a flurry as another group of men from the bureau came marching over.
The officer who had thrown the saber looked on in shock at how easily his target had fallen. Since the Jade-Faced Rat had been facing away from the bureau members when he died, the leader didn't know what had happened, but since he had been looking directly at Su Yu, he had seen the young girl lift her hand, release a streak of light, and instantly kill the criminal.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that a villain who had terrorized the Jiyun region for over a decade could die at the hands of a little girl. Who would believe that?
"What a monster..." the leader sighed to himself, though he had to brace himself to step forward. "I am Wang Zhaofeng, Captain of the Jiyun Province Jiwei Bureau. May I ask which family's young miss this is?"
Su Yu glanced at the stern-looking man but remained silent. Su Ling'er stepped forward to reply: "I am Su Ling'er, daughter of the Su Clan patriarch. We were visiting the West Market when we were attacked by this criminal. I hope your bureau will investigate this thoroughly and punish those responsible, restoring order to Guining City."
The words left Wang Zhaofeng feeling as if he might vomit blood. Investigate? The Jiwei Bureau had already investigated everything there was to know. Punish? The man was already dead; who were they supposed to punish?
However, the incident was technically a failure on the part of the Jiwei Bureau. Had the Jade-Faced Rat taken an ordinary person hostage, they wouldn't have cared; they would have just charged in, blades drawn. But as luck would have it, he had targeted the daughter of the Su Clan—one of the three great families of Guining City. That changed everything. If they had simply trapped and captured him in the restaurant earlier, none of this would have happened.
Wang Zhaofeng pondered and realized he had to bow and apologize. Even if he acted tough, he couldn't truly do anything to them. In this region, the Su Clan were the true power brokers; avoiding a dispute was the wisest course of action.